Combined ampule and injection apparatus



July 10, 1956 J. u. KOREE COMBINED AMPULE AND INJECTION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21, 1952 INVENTOR 4/54 Aa/PEE ATTORNEY United States Patent COMBINED AMPULE AND INJECTION APPARATUS Jean U. Koree, New York, N. Y.

Application January 21, 1952, Serial No. 267,368

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-416) The present invention relates to combined ampules and injection apparatus, and more particularly to improvements in this type of injection apparatus whereby the administration of the medicament may be made more certain and positive.

It has heretofore been proposed to use liquid medicament sealed in an ampule with a charge of gas under pressure to force the medicament into the situs of injection. These devices have employed a sealed ampule with frangible neck or tip, and a flexible rubber tube extending from the tip to a needle carrier. When the apparatus is bottom up, so that the gas is above the liquid medicament, the latter may be forced through the needle and into the situs of injection upon the breaking of the ampule tip. These devices are of comparatively low cost, require no sterilization immediately prior to use,

and as they are discarded after use there is no transmission of infection. Whenever properly manipulated they may be employed in the self-administration of certain drugs.

Should the tip he accidentally broken when such an ampule is bottom down, the gas escapes and the medicament remains in the ampule and is no longer accessible. Where the user is not trained in the use of such devices and self-administers the drug, or administers it to another, the importance of proper position during the operation is likely to be unknown or overlooked, so that the probability of loss is high. The possibility of error by doctors and nurses is so high that the use of such apparatus with drugs not readily available or very costly drugs may be inadvisable. Also such sealed-in pressure ampules are not suitable for automatic injection where the patient cannot be manoeuvred into a position to permit holding the injection unit needle down after insertion of the needle.

The present invention contemplates improvements in such apparatus whereby its good qualities are retained and the possibility of loss of medicament, other than through sheer carelessness, is, for practical purposes, impossible.

According to the present invention, the glass ampule carrying the liquid, or liquifiable medicament and gas under pressure is associated with supplemental means, such as an auxiliary gas reservoir which may be used to expel the medicament should the gas in the ampule accidentally escape so that its propulsive power is no longer available.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

The single figure in the drawing is a sectional view through a combined ampule and injection unit and employing an ampule with two frangible elements and a supplemental charge of gas under pressure.

The unit shown has a glass ampule 20 provided with the usual breakable tip 11, flexible tube 12, needle body or 2,753,866 Patented July 10, 1956 hub 13, needle 14, and filter 15. It containsliquid medicament M which, when the needle is is down, partly fills the ampule as indicated. The glass body has a narrow neck 21, sealed at 22 to form an upper chamber 23 similar to an empty ampule. The upper chamber is also filled with gas under pressure. The sealing operation at 22 is preferably done after the gas pressure is created inside the body. The glass body with medicament maybe sterilized in the usual manner and a flexible tubular seal, such asa rubber tube 24, placed about the glass body as indicated. This ampule, when used in the down position, functions as usual upon breaking of the lower tip. Should the lower tip be broken when the needle is up and the gas escape, the liquid content may be expelled, when the needle is down, by breaking the upper seal and using the reserve gas in the upper chamber.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined ampule and injection apparatus comprising a closed container, a dose of liquid medicament and a charge of gas under pressure therein, the container having a frangible tip at one end toward which the liquid flows when the tip is down, a flexible tube about the tip and carrying at the other end an injection needle through which the liquid contents of the container, when the frangible tip is down and broken, is expelled by the gas and through which the gas alone escapes when the frangible tip is broken in an elevated position so that the liquid remains in the container, the container having a second frangible portion at the other end and normally above the liquid when the tip is down, a supplemental chamber beyond the second frangible portion and sea-led thereby from the first chamber, a charge of gas under pressure in the supplemental chamber, and a flexible tube about the second frangible portion which upon breaking of the same provides a gas tight connection from the supplemental chamber to the first chamber so that when the tip is down the gas under pressure in the supplemental chamber expels the liquid through the injection needle.

2. The combination with injection apparatus having a needle, a needle carrier, a flexible tube carrying the needle carrier at one end, a glass ampule body having a frangible tip in the other end of the tube, and containing liquid medicament and gas under pressure whereby, when the needle is down and the tip is broken the pressure forces the liquid from the ample body through the needle, of means eflective upon loss of the original pressure without expulsion of the liquid to apply gas pressure to the same when the needle is down whereby the liquid may be expelled, said means comprising a frangible portion above the liquid when the tip is down, and an auxiliary source of gas under pressure connected to the said frangible portion.

3. The combination with injection apparatus having a needle, a needle carrier, a flexible tube carrying the frangible tip in the other end of the tube, and containing liquid medicament and gas under pressure whereby, when the needle is down and the tip is broken the pressure forces the liquid from the ampule body through the needle, of means effective upon loss of the original pressure without expulsion of the liquid to apply gas pressure to the same when the needle is down whereby the liquid may be expelled, said means comprising a charge of gas stored under pressure in a sealed extension of said ampule body and a flexible tube about said latter-mentioned seal, the stored gas charge above said second seal being automatically forcing liquid downwardly into an injec- 0 tion situs upon opening of a discharge passage and a second means effective upon loss of pressure of the first means without expelling the liquid for thereupon expelling the liquid downwardly, said second means comprising a frangible portion above the liquid when the tip is down and an auxiliary gas chamber of fixed dimensions enclosing a source of gas under pressure and con nected to the said frangible portion.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Baker June 9,

Schwab Oct. 27,

Schwab Nov. 30,

Parrine Sept. 9,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 4,

Germany Dec. 20, 

